


괜찮아도 괜찮아 (That's okay)

by aerinuh



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Celebrity Park Chanyeol, Implied College Professor Kim Jongdae, Implied starcrossed lovers but it's not that deep, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Unreliable Narrator, and, very, very vague story line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25488379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerinuh/pseuds/aerinuh
Summary: Because if your heart is not thumping like it’s going to fall off your chest and your body is not buzzing with energy you might explode any second – then you’re not living your best life.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 17
Kudos: 63
Collections: Challenge #5 — Opposites Attract





	괜찮아도 괜찮아 (That's okay)

**Author's Note:**

> Not my best but writing this was fun!! No one read this over so expect the quality to be a bit whack. Quick shoutout to the mods for another successful round!!

Silence.

Aside from the soft snores coming beside him, there’s only silence.

Maybe if this was a couple of years back, silence wouldn’t equate to serenity, silence will only leave him choked up and gasping for air.

Having his life in the constant state of loud crowds and blaring concerts. The buzz of the reporters and fans flocking everywhere he goes. The steady and unending stream of music playing from his voice recording notes, to his speaker, and into a streaming site.

Chanyeol’s life has always been loud.

Chanyeol thinks that his life is meant to be lived like that, in the constant state of adrenaline rush. Because if your heart is not thumping like it’s going to fall off your chest and your body is not buzzing with energy you might explode any second – then you’re not living your best life.

But then there’s Jongdae.

The moment Chanyeol laid his eyes on him, he felt like his heart would fall off his chest and his body might explode.

Jongdae was a stranger back then but Chanyeol can’t help but get himself drawn to him. Get drawn to the high cheekbones and pretty smile – the hearty laugh that he managed to hear even at the rowdiness of Baekhyun’s party.

Striking up a conversation with Jongdae is probably one of the greatest decisions he ever made in his entire life. They spent the entire night talking about anything and everything. It left him all giddy and happy and greedy for more, that for once Chanyeol easily gave his number – his _personal_ number – to someone he just met.

Getting to know Jongdae meant that Chanyeol gets a harsh reality slap on how different they are. Jongdae loves to take his time, make everything as personal and serene as ever – it’s like Jongdae’s soul revels in peacefulness. He’s just as loud and bright as Chanyeol, but there’s an innate calmness that comes with Jongdae that carefully soothes out the chaotic energy Chanyeol always brings.

It’s a stark contrast to what Chanyeol used to but it’s nice – exhilarating.

Jongdae, who looks like an open book but in reality, he has only shown the preface – barely scratching the surface. It leaves Chanyeol in the constant state of wonder and intrigue. Intrigued at how one of the most famous singers in the industry can maintain such a lifestyle. Chanyeol delves more and more into his curiosity, reading every page Jongdae has shown him over and over again. Until he can say it word for word with his eyes closed and his heart open.

It wasn’t an all of the sudden thing; it was a slow transition from the girls screaming at the top of their lungs to Jongdae laughing at his heart’s content. From Chanyeol’s heart beating erratically because their new album is going to drop to his heart beating erratically because Jongdae smiled at him in a certain way. Even if it’s under the crappy lighting of the underground parking lot at 4 in the morning, even when Chanyeol just came from a flight from Indonesia where they just finished their concert and Jongdae is a bit sleepy from grading papers made by overly caffeinated college kids, there’s no doubt that Jongdae smiles at him in a way that Chanyeol knows that is solely his.

Only for his eyes to see.

A smile that marks the end of Jongdae’s book and the beginning of theirs.

Sometimes if Chanyeol closes his eyes and concentrates hard, he can still hear various flash news reports from different radio and broadcasting networks when his agency confirms it. The dozens of articles that contain the words; “JUST IN: ZYX Entertainment confirmed that it is Park Chanyeol, from the legendary boy group SKY, and his non-showbiz boyfriend that were caught kissing at the backstage of the __‘Rodeo Station:4th Dome Tour’_ in Tokyo, Japan.”_

He can only imagine the sounds of the fans furiously typing on their keyboards – writing out various threads and textposts creating a wide range spectrum of reasons why it’s not real. That it was only the agency’s attempt to hide the fact that it was Chanyeol and his manager, Xiumin that was in the picture. A ploy created by the agency to divert the public’s attention from the million-dollar STAFA case their national health secretary is facing.

That reaction leaves Chanyeol worried.

Worried that maybe Jongdae will come and hate on Chanyeol for turning his quiet life into a circus. That one day, Jongdae will say to him “this is no longer worth it, I want to end it.” Such thoughts will leave Chanyeol clinging to Jongdae harder. Chanyeol wraps his arms around Jongdae’s tiny sleeping body until he’s completely covered – completely secured in Chanyeol’s arms that he doesn’t have any reason to leave.

“I can hear you thinking in my sleep,” Jongdae’s voice always sounds angelic even when it’s still rough from sleep and it’s muffled against Chanyeol’s chest. Jongdae lets out a cute little yawn and Chanyeol coos at how cute his boyfriend is. “What are you thinking, Yeollie?”

“Don’t you want to date someone normal?” The question slips out of his mouth and hangs in the air – dangling with the silence. Jongdae looks at him with heavy eyelids and curiosity, “You know someone that’s not constantly in and out of the country for some tour or photoshoot or whatever – someone you can go out and have spontaneous dinner dates and then walk on a park right after with your hands intertwined without the fear of having your picture at the front page of a newspaper… You know… Date someone _normal_?”

Jongdae paused for a long and quiet moment that leaves Chanyeol terrified, “I honestly don’t know if I want to date someone normal…” Chanyeol can feel air fill in his lungs only to get knocked out again when Jongdae mumbles, “But as for right now, I’m kinda – sorta – in love with you, if that’s okay?”

Chanyeol leans in for a kiss as his answer.

**Author's Note:**

> congrats for enduring this! The last sentence is from a sarah kay poem that i can't remember but I'll link it up when I do.


End file.
